You can use the washroom in another 15 Hamilton parks this winter
The city will keep park washrooms open at 15 locations through the winter as an experiment spurred by a spike in demand during the pandemic.
Usually, all but four of Hamilton's 55 park washrooms shut down between October and May because they are either unheated, prone to vandalism or lacking staff for cleaning. But the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted an acute need for washroom access for both occasional park visitors and homeless residents.
As a result, the city now plans to spend $1 million over two years to upgrade and operate at least 27 park washroom options year-round. That includes 12 washrooms and four portable toilets that should be ready for use this winter in 15 different parks.
The winterized loos will be very appreciated" by city residents, predicted Mountain councillor John-Paul Danko, who counted his own parents among all-seasons park users looking for a place to go. About half of the first 16 winterized loos are destined for the Mountain.
Councillor Nrinder Nann noted the idea was recommended both by the mayor's pandemic task force on economic recovery and by community advocates as an issue of dignity and well-being" for residents struggling to stay housed.
She asked that the two-year pilot include a clear commenting process" for residents to report on whether community needs are being met.
Some washrooms will need more work than others to make winter-ready - particularly buildings without existing heating, insulated water pipes or security cameras.
But councillors didn't complain about the cost - and some lobbied for more washrooms to be added to the year-round list.
Ancaster councillor Lloyd Ferguson said suburban residents might feel a little left out" because a majority of the winterized locations are planned for lower-city and Mountain parks. He asked staff to report back on the costs associated with adding a winterized loo at Little League Park near the popular Spring Valley Trail.
Parks head Kara Bunn said the city looked at park usage, the history of vandalism and overall upgrade costs in choosing the list of washrooms to winterize. Those washrooms that are easiest to convert to year-round use will be available first - but that may mean a brief shutdown this fall for work to be done.
Nine councillors on the city's public works committee unanimously recommended the plan Monday, meaning full council should authorize work to begin after next week's council meeting.
Winterized washrooms for 2021-22, by park name:
Ward 1: Alexander and Victoria
Ward 2: Pier 4
Ward 3: Woodlands and Gage x 2 (by baseball diamonds and splash pad)
Ward 6: Mohawk Sports
Ward 6/7: Mountain Drive (portable toilet)
Ward 7: T.B. McQuesten, Eastmount (portable toilet)
Ward 8: Bruce, Buchanan, William Connell, Sam Lawrence (portable toilet)
Ward 13: Dundas Driving
Ward 15: Joe Sam's (portable toilet)
Matthew Van Dongen is a Hamilton-based reporter covering transportation for The Spectator. Reach him via email: mvandongen@thespec.com